Step 1: The Parts

Step 2: Drink It

I don't claim to have invented this, it's just a classic highball, but I do take credit for the name.

There isn't an actual drink called a highball. Highballs are more like a genre of drinks. Very simply they are a distilled alcohol mixed with a larger portion of nonalcoholic diluent. There is no classic ratio, it's drinker's choice. Some classic examples of highballs are Scotch and Soda, Jack and Coke, Rum and Coke, Gin and Tonic, and the list goes on.

For those that don't know, Philip Marlowe is the famous fictional detective in the crime noir novels of Raymond Chandler. Often these stories were called "hardboiled" because they were tough and violent. Some of the titles of the Marlowe books might be more familiar to people because of their early movie adaptations: The Big Sleep (starring Humphrey Bogart as Marlowe) and Lady In The Lake (this time with Robert Montgomery in the part).

In the novels there was always a bottle of rye whiskey hiding out in a drawer or cabinet somewhere and often this was mixed with ginger ale or seltzer.

Step 1: The Parts

* Rye whiskey - Here looks are deceiving. I didn't actually care for Sazerac Rye, but I love the bottle. So I used it up and kept refilling the bottle with with my favorite rye, the tasty and affordable Jim Beam Rye. If you can't find an acceptable rye, buy a Canadian whisky. Traditionally they were made with a percentage of rye, but these days who knows.

* Ginger Ale - Since this is meant to be a drink for a hardboiled detective I choose Vernor's, a rough ginger ale.

And that's pretty much it. A glass and some ice and a spoon to stir with.

I use 2 ounces of rye per glass. Pour it in and top it off with ginger ale.

highballs were created by people working on the railroads. when the railroad workers were taking a break drinking some whiskey some times lost track of time, so to remind them they're break was over a person would hold up a red ball from a watch tower or the highest place visible in the camp or town that everyone could see and the stragglers still drinking would have to hurry up so they would put a bit of ginger beer/ale in the whiskey to drink it faster... the highball. a traditional highball is just whiskey and ginger ale. other cocktails go into &quot;highball&quot; glasses

Interesting bit of information. thanks for the history lesson...

Excellent, some days a two-step instructable is long enough! And when the second step is &quot;Drink it,&quot; well, you have me. I may be inspired to post a one-step Gin Rickey instructable.<br><br>I think this could be tucked into the first steps of any number of other instructables to their benefit as well.